True West Act 1, Scene 4 Summary

  • That night, as the coyotes yap in the distance, Lee tells his movie idea to Austin, who tries to get it down in outline form. Austin thinks the movie is totally cliché, but he ends up writing the outline anyway.
  • The two brothers argue, which isn't strange, but eventually Lee wins and Austin agrees to keep writing the outline.
  • Austin tells Lee that if the film idea sells, Lee could make a lot of money and settle down. For the first time, it seems that Lee might actually want that kind of life.
  • Lee starts to think about having some real Hollywood movie. He would use it to bring his father down and make him part of the family again. Austin doesn't think that will ever happen. He's seen how their father chooses to live, and he doesn't think the old man will ever change.
  • After some more arguing, Lee pushes his movie idea forward. One man chases another man into "an endless black prairie" (1.5.267-268).